Notes of Faith February 21, 2024

Notes of Faith February 21, 2024

How Would Jesus Handle Life Drainers?

One of my friends likes to use the term life drainers for people who aren’t concerned about conflict resolution or relationship reconciliation, but whose primary intention is to prove they are right.

They drain joy and peace because we engage with them — often for days, weeks, or months — in the hopes of finding unity, solutions, or understanding, only to discover they aren’t interested in these things at all. They leave us emotionally, relationally, and spiritually spent.

Life drainers say things like “I don’t think wrong things; therefore, the way I see this issue is right.” (I actually heard someone say this once.) Even if a life drainer doesn’t come right out and verbalize this belief, they think it.

Life drainers are often critical and controlling. They see compromise as a last resort (if they consider compromise at all) since their goal is to prove they know best. Relationships are secondary.

Listening to another’s perspective is a waste of time for them. After all, why listen to someone else when you’re certain your way is the only way? They’d much prefer — in fact, they often demand — that you listen to them. Life drainers are starved bulldogs with fresh meat; they bite and simply will not let things go. If a life drainer can’t control, a life drainer will find something to criticize and then leave.

Sometimes life drainers are easy to spot; they’re contentious from the start. Other times, though, life-draining tendencies lie dormant. You won’t know someone is a life drainer so long as you both agree. But the moment you don’t see eye to eye — bam! — the life drainer won’t stop until you admit they are right.

Years ago, a man at a church we attended became disgruntled over a decision the pastoral team made. Instead of seeking first to understand, he called one of the pastors in a huff.

The parishioner was demanding and full of rage from the moment the conversation began: “Did you say such and such in the meeting where you made the decision? Yes or no?”

The pastor stayed calm in the face of unjust anger. “I think if you knew more of the context surrounding the decision, it would help clarify things. Let’s meet for coffee so I can explain more fully.”

“Just answer the question. Did you say __________? Yes or no? Yes or no?” the man commanded, his voice rising with every word. “As I mentioned, there is context surrounding what was said that’s important to know. We’re brothers in Christ. Let’s meet for coffee.” “I don’t want to meet you. I want you to answer the question: yes or no?”

You probably guessed the disgruntled church member was more interested in proving his point than in maintaining unity. You probably also guessed that he left the church.

Life drainers are not always aggressive though. Sometimes life drainers suck the joy out of relationships using more passive means. For example, consider Emily and Pam. They were the best of friends.

Until they weren’t.

Without warning, Emily stopped returning Pam’s calls or texts.

Pam left voice mail messages and countless texts asking Emily what she’d done wrong. She apologized for anything she might have said or done, though she honestly had no idea what might have offended her friend to the point of being completely cut off.

We can disagree without being disagreeable.

Desperate to resolve whatever conflict had come between them, Pam knocked on Emily’s door unannounced.

“Emily, you’re my dear friend. Please tell me what I did. I want to make this right,” Pam pleaded.

“You should know what you did. If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you,” Emily said dryly before shutting the door, leaving Pam standing alone on the porch.

Pam left heartbroken.

And Pam remained heartbroken, pierced by rejection until a wise friend gave her godly advice:

“Some people want to hold on to their grudge more than they want to hold on to their relationship. If you sincerely did all you could to reconcile, and yet the other person doesn’t want to, move on.

You did what is right before God. That’s your only responsibility.”

No matter what you dub them — pot stirrers, life drainers, or some other name of your own making — these folks haven’t grasped how to disagree without being disagreeable. Yet it’s vital to take a good look in the mirror. An honest assessment might reveal that we can be the pot stirrer. We may be the life drainer.

If we find that drama seems to follow us wherever we go, or if we find ourselves constantly irritated at others, we likely need to make some changes. We don’t have to be a pot stirrer. We don’t have to be a life drainer.

We can learn new, healthier, holier ways of handling disagreements.

And we don’t we have to allow pot-stirring, life-draining folks to control our lives with their incessant need to bring chaos into our calm. We can disagree without being disagreeable.

Of course, the natural question is how.

And, as always, the answer is found by looking at Jesus.

Jesus, the Life Giver

In Jesus’ day the Pharisees were the ultimate pot stirrers. And life drainers. Everywhere Jesus went the Pharisees challenged Him, attempted to stir up the crowd against Him, or some combination of both. If a group of Pharisees was present, conflict was not far behind.

How did Jesus respond to an almost constant barrage of opposition? Jesus was never unkind or unloving. However, Jesus didn’t have an insatiable need for everyone to like Him, which freed Him to seek to please the Father above all else. When confronted with conflict, more often than not Jesus calmly spoke truth and left it at that.

Jesus did not over-engage with people who had no real interest in finding peace and reconciliation. But Jesus didn’t under-engage with them either.

Jesus depended on His relationship with the Father to know when to speak, when to remain silent, when to stay, when to leave, and when to graciously let others leave.

We can do the same.

Conflict can drive us to the foot of the cross. It can provide an opportunity for us to live in dependence on our heavenly Father, who promises to give wisdom to those who ask. Instead of relying on resolution strategies (which have their place), sometimes conflict forces us to rely on our resurrected Savior. God knows when we should keep trying and when we should quit. He knows when it’s wise to walk away and when it’s wise to run.

As a general rule, though, if a person constantly dredges up drama, it’s usually best to keep them at arm’s length. And if a person is consistently more interested in proving their point than improving your relationship, it’s usually wisest to love them from a distance. These types of people have no real interest in unity, conflict resolution, or relational reconciliation.

To handle conflict like Jesus, we do our part to be at peace with all people — while also acknowledging that not everyone will want to be at peace with us.

Excerpted from Healthy Conflict, Peaceful Life by Donna Jones, copyright Donna Jones.

We might need to take a long look at ourselves to see if we are exhibiting characteristics of a life-drainer. Do we seek our way at the expense of relationships? How is our relationship with God? Responding like Jesus takes great discipline and self-control. May we be blessed with God’s grace to listen and seek God’s will.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 20, 2024

Notes of Faith February 20, 2024

Fight Discouragement

How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands... They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.

— Psalm 112:1, 7-8 NLT

Today is the day you’re going to obliterate discouragement from your life.

One of the biggest battles we face is discouragement. Everybody has to fight this.

One day as I was praying, the Lord asked me to state aloud the opposite of courage.

“Fear, of course,” I said.

No, it’s discouragement, God whispered.

Suddenly, I saw the word discourage in a whole new light!

We should view discouragement as the opposite of courage, and, therefore, it is to be given no place in our minds. Yet it’s something we often tolerate. We don’t recognize it as an enemy to our faith, so we pamper it and coddle it, we lean into it and feel sorry for ourselves when it comes.

But why? When we know that God is our source of joy and courage, we have no reason to fear or be discouraged. When discouragement inevitably comes knocking at our door, here’s what we need to do:

be strong and of good courage.

Think of a clear example of bravery in the Bible. Joshua was one of the children of Israel who left Egypt to embark on the great exodus. He and Caleb were among the twelve men sent from the tribes of Israel to spy out the land of Canaan. This was the land God promised to them. Yet ten of those spies didn’t believe the Israelites could secure it. Only Joshua and Caleb declared with confidence that the Lord would surely deliver Canaan into their hands. All twelve leaders saw the same things, but they didn’t see them the same way. Ten chose the path of their own ability, which led to discouragement, and only two saw God’s ability.

When we know that God is our source of joy and courage, we have no reason to fear or be discouraged.

This was the reason God said, to Joshua seven different times — whether it was through Moses, the elders, or God Himself — before entering the promised land. The Lord knew this would be one of Joshua’s greatest challenges.

Discouragement occurs during the droughts in our lives. It arrives in the middle of the battle when we feel deserted by God. The true enemies to the Israelites weren’t the intimidating giants living in the promised land. No — the enemies were the insulting whispers in their minds to remain in fear.

Joshua and Caleb feared God more than any threatening enemy. Because of that, they became the only two original members of the exodus to enter and possess the promised land.

Dear heavenly Father, give me the courage to dispel discouragement with words of faith and hope from You. May I delight in the fear of You, for it is “a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death” (Proverbs 14:27). In Jesus’ name, amen.

Excerpted from Everyday Courage by John Bevere, copyright John P. Bevere.

There is cause for discouragement every day, but we can dispel the anxiety and disappointment knowing that God is sovereign and in control of everything in our lives! Praise Him for leading and guiding your every step, bringing you closer and closer to your perfect eternal home!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 19, 2024

Notes of Faith February 19, 2024

Worse Than Any Affliction

Why I Refuse to Grumble

Article by Joni Eareckson Tada

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Joni and Friends

Last year was a season of losses for me. It started in the spring when I was hospitalized 21 days for double pneumonia. The lung infection was bad enough, but the extended stay in bed left my right arm thick with lymphedema. Some of it was related to my long-ago therapy for cancer, but this was different. After my lungs cleared, I was sent home, but with a bulkier arm that was hard to lift.

Then in late summer, I developed a second respiratory infection, much worse than the first. During another lengthy hospital stay, I noticed more problems with my right arm. The doctors, however, stayed focused on the more life-threatening issue with my lungs. When the infection cleared and I was ready to go home, it was obvious my arm had suffered more damage. The already minuscule muscles I had used to feed myself were gone. Even with my hand splint, I could not lift the spoon to my mouth.

Decades ago, after suffering quadriplegia in the wake of my accident, doctors warned me that my partially paralyzed muscles would atrophy, and I knew that my “good” arm and my fragile lungs would eventually deteriorate. I just didn’t realize how hard it would be, losing the capacity to breathe well and losing my independence at mealtimes. Like I said, it was a tough year.

My flesh is wasting away, and who would blame me if I complained? Certainly not the world — it’s natural for them to expect an old lady in a wheelchair to grumble over her losses. But followers of Jesus Christ should expect more from me. Much more.

Why Do You Quarrel with God?

The Bible first addresses complaining in the book of Exodus. Things start off well enough after the Lord performs a great miracle at the Red Sea. At first, everyone’s ecstatic about walking through a sea parted on either side like glass skyscrapers. With their hearts bursting with joy, the entire fifteenth chapter is one long praise song:

I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

The Lord is my strength and my song,

and he has become my salvation;

this is my God, and I will praise him,

my father’s God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:1–2)

A few verses later, though, their song fizzles. Only 72 hours of traveling in the desert without finding water, they grumble and demand of Moses, “What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15:24).

How ironic that they should complain about water! Didn’t they recall that God had just parted a whole sea of it? Their memory was jogged when God made bitter desert water good enough for them to drink. Yet only a couple of campsites later, they put up another stink about water. This time Moses replies, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” (Exodus 17:2).

Moses sharply rebukes them for disputing with the God who has just wondrously rescued them out of slavery. So, “he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’” (Exodus 17:7).

Do Not Harden Your Hearts

Nowadays, who among us would dare quarrel with God like that? Yet we do, every time we bellyache, quibble over some inequity, or whine about God’s timing or lack of provision. Even when we mutter (thinking it’s barely audible), all of our bemoaning is an assault against one Person: Jesus, the great I Am, who spilled a red sea of blood to wondrously rescue us out of slavery. When things don’t go our way and we grumble about it, we are inasmuch stamping our foot, crossing our arms, and demanding, “Lord, are you among us or not!”

Psalm 95:7–10 is a repeat of the Exodus debacle, except this time it’s not Moses speaking; it is Yahweh himself. And he has a message for us:

Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. . . . They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways. (Psalm 95:8–10)

When God’s people make a habit of complaining, they’ve gone astray and abandoned God’s ways.

“If this is what Jesus endured to rescue me, I refuse to dignify any sin that impaled him to that cursed tree.”

“Wait a minute,” some might say. “Cut us some slack — we’re just letting off a little steam.” If complaining were only a slip of the tongue, I might understand — especially if that person were an immature believer. But when a Christian’s default setting is to grumble, it develops into a character trait — a complaining spirit. A rebellious spirit. Some Christians may not see themselves as stiff-necked rebels when they squawk if it rains on their picnic, but Scripture speaks of a complaining spirit far differently.

Trembling over Our Grumbling

Whenever a group of Christians tour Joni and Friends and stop by my office, I like to spend some time and explain to them the reason behind my smile in this wheelchair. After introductions and a few comments, I’ll pick out someone to reach for the Bible on my shelf and flip to the book of Jude (I have the page marked). Then I’ll ask, “Read the fifteenth verse, please.”

Adjusting her glasses, the reader will say,

Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him. (Jude 14–15)

“Who are these ungodly people?” I’ll ask. “Pedophiles? Mass murderers? Drug dealers in schoolyards?” A few will nod. I then turn to the one with the Bible and ask her to read the next verse: “These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires” (Jude 16).

I close the little lesson, explaining how we tend to think of sin on a sliding scale. We place on one side gross wickedness like barstool swearing and Satan worship, and on the other nitpicking (complaints that appear respectable). We think we are not as ungodly as those evil reprobates who take part in orgies and follow the horoscope. We’re not ungodly at all; we’re merely spewing off about things now and then.

Jude’s scathing judgment, however, proves that God does not split hairs when it comes to sin, especially the sin of complaining. So, he does what we’d consider scandalous: he places grumblers at the top of a sordid list of apostates, connivers, and loud-mouthed boasters “for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever” (Jude 13).

It should make us tremble.

My Life Is Not My Own

After those two times in the hospital, I began rigorous home therapy for my damaged lungs. Twice a day, I must wear a tight vest that violently vibrates my chest for fifteen minutes as I inhale steroids through a nebulizer. “How long do I have to keep this up?” I asked my pulmonologist.

“Indefinitely,” he replied, “if you want to live.”

I was numb. That first week I tried to ignore the whole routine, the terrible jackhammering of the vest-machine, as well as the pungent vapors from the nebulizer. I viewed the routine as an unpleasant detour, an inconvenient interruption until I could get back on the main road of life. Ah, but this is your life, I heard the Spirit whisper.

Did I have a right to complain? Actually, I possess no real rights. I laid them all at the foot of the cross, agreeing with 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” The Son of God was ripped to shreds, and then hung up to drain like a bloodied piece of meat on a hook. And if this is what Jesus endured to rescue me, I refuse to dignify any sin that impaled him to that cursed tree.

I will not coddle anything that helped drive the nails deeper. I relinquished my right to complain so that I might glorify Almighty God through my hardships. Anything less shrinks my soul.

Woes of a Complaining Spirit

A complaining spirit abuses the kindness of Christ, for God “raised us up with [Christ] . . . so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6–7). God will one day raise us up to showcase the riches and kindness of his grace through us. I dare not diminish that glorious moment with a negative tongue. A grumbling spirit would only prove from heaven that I viewed his kindness as sorely lacking to me on earth.

A complaining spirit reveals a warped understanding of God’s ways with suffering. Through the years, Christ has used my quadriplegia to wrench my heart off of this world and affix it to his own. Jesus has captured my heart, totally ruining me for worldly delights (thus lessening any tendency to complain). My satisfaction is not bound to earthly things; I have been set free to pursue the joys of eternity (2 Corinthians 4:18). Complaining lessens the eternal reward my suffering might have gained. It shrinks my heavenly inheritance.

A complaining spirit weakens our confidence in God’s promises. Psalm 106:24–25 says, “Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise. They murmured in their tents, and did not obey the voice of the Lord.” The Christian who wallows in complaining is tempted to believe that God might leave him, that God isn’t always helpful in times of trouble, or that divine grace is lacking for every need. He’s increasingly suspicious whether God’s word is always trustworthy. He feels that suffering is not worth what little eternal benefit it earns (Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 46:1; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Psalm 62:8; 2 Corinthians 4:17).

Chest-percussion therapy at home was a kick in the right direction. Without wasting another week, I decided to use that time to memorize Scripture. My husband opened the white three-ring binder containing passages I’ve either memorized or am in the process of learning by heart. He placed the binder on my bed where I could see it, and while the nebulizer hissed, and the vest rattled my chest, I memorized a batch of Scriptures. Ephesians 1 and part of chapter 2 have become an inoculation against any thought of murmuring, as has the Nicene Creed and Psalms 84, 92, and 121.

I’m sure you’d agree that suffering naturally contains the seeds of complaining. But when cultivated by the Spirit of God, suffering “yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

Grumbling Is a Contagious Disease

Every morning a girlfriend or two arrives at our home to start the coffee and give me a bed bath, do toileting routines, get me dressed, and sit me up in my wheelchair. Sometimes I can hear them in the kitchen getting things ready, and I think, Lord, I’m in enormous pain, and I have no strength for this day, let alone for these dear helpers. I have no smile for them. But you do! So, please let me borrow your smile.

By the time they open the bedroom door with a fresh cup of coffee, my attitude has been cast for the day. I have God’s smiling grace. I am ready to serve them as they serve me. Ephesians 4:16 says we are one with other believers, and we are expected to act like it: “From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” My work in the body is to build others up, facing my problems with them in mind.

If I were to growl about my pain and paralysis, it would diminish the spiritual walk of these girls. It would sow negative seeds of discord, releasing them to complain about their own headaches and hardships. This exact thing happened in Numbers 14:36–37: “The men whom Moses sent to spy out the land . . . returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land.”

I cannot provide a better service to the people around me, including the girls who help me in the morning, than to not complain.

Will We Expect More of Us?

Whatever happened to my arm and the problem with feeding myself? Well, it never got better, but I don’t want any complaint to dare shrink my soul, dishonor my Lord, diminish my inheritance, or impact others negatively.

So, every Friday evening, my neighbor Kristen comes to our house around mealtime to cut up my food and lift it to my mouth so that I can enjoy dinner while my husband enjoys his. But to make sure I don’t allow myself a centimeter of self-pity, I’ll always take a moment to bless her hands: “Lord, shine your favor on Kristen, who is serving you tonight by serving me” (Colossians 3:23–24). The blessing probably helps me as much as it does her.

Do I sound like a saint on a pedestal? Hardly. For I should not be the exception. After all, Titus 2:7 was written for all of us: “Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works.” And there’s nothing good about a complaining spirit. Yes, followers of Jesus Christ should expect more from one another. Much more.

Joni Eareckson Tada is founder and chief executive officer of Joni and Friends in Agoura Hills, California.

This is one amazing woman. But there are others like her though suffering much in this life, have placed themselves completely in the hands of God, trusting His love and care for them for now and all eternity. We live in a corrupt, decaying, decomposing world because of sin and should all come to the redemptive call of Jesus Christ…He paid the debt we owe for sin…death. We are all falling apart slowly or quickly, but praise God, He can and will heal those who believe and follow Jesus! Get in line with trust and faith and you will be healed!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 18, 2024

Notes of Faith February 18, 2024

I Want God More Than Control

God has set Eternity in our heart, and man’s infinite capacity cannot be filled or satisfied with the things of time and sense. ~ F. B. Meyer

Back when we had permed hair and were twentysomething vibrant, we used to talk about how we hoped God would never send us as missionaries to Africa.

My best friend and I recently revisit this twenty-year-old conversation: how while we walked the halls of a seminary where we studied God, we secretly feared a call on our lives that would make us do something radical and hard. Now, on one hand, we cringe at this. We want to judge it and call it ignorance or selfishness or being really young or thinking life was just up to us, but then we step back, pause, and get honest.

Were we really that different from most believers? We say we want God but sit with fingers crossed behind our backs, hoping He will never ask us to do something too sacrificial.

The truth is that our fear was never really about Africa. Africa just represented something that was unknown. Africa got blamed for what was really a small faith — a mindset whereby we could love God but never let that love interrupt our plan for a beautiful house, a handsome husband, three kids, a dog or two, manicured nails, church on Sunday, and cute jeans. It was never about Africa. It was about wanting life both ways.

Somewhere in the midst of the daily whirlwind of life, we have convinced ourselves that we can live in the in-between when it comes to God. We are convinced we can make our faith what we want it to be — customize it like we do with food at restaurants, ordering faith to fit our tastes. But when we become followers of Christ, we don’t get to make up the script.

It’s either all God or no God, He says.

I think of the church at Laodicea and feel akin. If I’m honest, I also feel scared and convicted. God is always blunt and to the point. But these verses are awakeners of a different kind.

I know you inside and out, and find little to my liking. You’re not cold, you’re not hot — far better to be either cold or hot! You’re stale. You’re stagnant. You make me want to vomit. — Revelation 3:15–16 MSG

The idea that I could make God want to vomit chills me to the bone.

But I am the church at Laodicea. We are the church at Laodicea. We may be hotter than we are cold, less stale and stagnant than we used to be, and, indeed, we should be grateful for the forward progress. But God doesn’t compare us to ourselves as the measuring stick. He compares us to Him.

Our desire for control — for logic, for reason, for that which makes sense to us — is one of the biggest factors in why we don’t have more of God. It’s not that God is displeased with our logic or that we shouldn’t seek spiritual understanding through the studying of Scripture. In fact, this is the essence of spiritual growth: we want more of God the more we know Him. But if we truly want God, the piece that must be abandoned is our demand for logic. We have to want Him more than what we can understand, since intellect gets in the way of unvarnished love. When we demand that God make sense, we overstep our role and show our sense of entitlement. In life God calls us to scary places we can’t understand, and we must have an open heart of faith to take the leap with Him. We must come as children who know and care nothing of formulas, calculations, and risk. That is faith. That is what makes a Father glad.

Life with God was never meant to be a calculated risk; it was meant to be an illogical surety.

Logical people are at risk of stepping in the way of the supernatural. We don’t mean to — it’s just that often there’s a core incompatibility between what is known (tangible, flesh, earth) and the Unknown (God), and when we choose logic, it hinders His work. Don’t misunderstand — God doesn’t need us to understand to do His thing. He can work under any conditions, at any time, in any way. But whether we submit to His working is in our hands.

He wanted us to choose things and see things and experience things from a free will and open heart. Otherwise He would have created robots to simply do His bidding. But He didn’t. Because He is God, a part of Him will always be unknown to us as humans with limited minds. Yet so much of Him can be known by way of Scripture, experience, the heart, the mind, and the senses. We don’t need logic and reason to know we love and trust God.

And while logic feels good because it is a controllable entity, God often calls us to the illogical and unreasonable places to expose what position control holds in our life. He calls us to the things we fear because they’re foreign and require sacrifice. The things we don’t want to face because they seem too hard.

I wonder: What is your Africa?

Life with God was never meant to be a calculated risk; it was meant to be an illogical surety.

It took twenty-five years, but my best friend finally met hers. It started with a simple phone call, a “simple” inquiry about foster children in her county who needed a home, but it really started before that. The heart change had to come first, and did. It started seven years before with a trip to Colorado for couples struggling in their marriage. She went with her husband, fighting long-held private struggles. But she came back herself having changed. My best friend wasn’t the same best friend when she came back. She was a better version of the same one I loved. Something inside of her had met God in a different way in those Colorado mountains — something that made her more God-hungry than ever before. She was just... different.

So I wasn’t completely surprised when she called me a few years later to tell me the news. “We’re going to look deeper into foster care, Lisa. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing. I just feel pulled to do this and I can’t explain why.”

I didn’t need her to explain. I knew from my own life that wanting God means doing things that move His heart — which we want to do. People will no longer have to pitch us on God-causes; our heart for Him compels us to pursue them.

And I knew this, too — that God doesn’t typically ready us in ways we think work best and look best to others. He readies us on the inside when we can’t see it ourselves. (It’s a myth to think we will ever be ready for anything that is a God-sized undertaking. We can position ourselves but can never fully prepare.) My friend would never be ready to do foster care. But she was already ready to do it because of her desire for Him.

She’d done some form of foster care for many years, but I remember her first two years as a foster mom well. Many phone calls where she cried in frustration because it was hard and heartbreaking. Many moments when she felt like she wasn’t enough. I would tell her I loved her but offered little more than that because I just couldn’t help like God. She was bitten and spat on, and held children deep into the night while they told her they heard voices. She was in way over her head, way “underqualified” for the things she could and would tell me about. My little khaki-wearing friend became a woman who walked in and out of jails and spoke to the courts like an expert, without batting an eye. She loved her foster kids. They loved her. They became family. She cried, even when she knew it was right, the day the baby she’d had since birth left their home. I watched, from afar, as an observer. None of it made sense.

But it was all God. It’s what she could not unknow after she knew it.

We have both learned much since those seminary days. About life, God, and what messy looks like. We have learned that life is not our script to write and God lives in the illogical sureties, which are abundantly superior to the calculated risks.

And there is much more to learn.

But some things about God we never will.

So we keep going and make peace with the not knowing, understanding it is an important part of wanting Him first and most.

Excerpted from I Want God by Lisa Whittle, copyright Lisa Whittle.

Wanting more of God comes from His drawing you to Himself. Yes, you are seeking a more intimate relationship but God is drawing you toward that intimacy. We do want to know and understand everything about God. That is just not possible for God is not like us…He is God! We are made in His image and that is glorious but we are not made little gods. Let us pursue God with a sincere heart, with a fervent desire to know Him, His will for us, and live obedient to the truth He revealed in the Scriptures!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 17, 2024

Notes of Faith February 17, 2024

Believe

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

— John 20:29

Doubt tends to creep in at unfortunate times. In pivotal moments, when we need mountain-moving faith, doubt whispers, Does God hear my prayers? Why hasn’t He fixed this situation? How long will this continue? Often, when we experience doubt, we put on our game face and pretend all is well — but there’s a better way.

After Jesus was resurrected, the apostle Thomas struggled to believe the reports about Jesus being alive. Thomas said,

Unless I see the nail marks in His hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. — John 20:25

Sounds pretty cynical, right? Maybe so cynical that Jesus might write off Thomas? Hardly. Rather than dismissing Thomas because of his doubts, Jesus invited Thomas to take a closer look. A few days later, Jesus appeared to the apostle and said,

Put your finger here; see My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe. — John 20:27

When Thomas leaned in and took a closer look, he said,

My Lord and my God! — John 20:28

The remedy for doubt is taking a closer look at Jesus.

No, you can’t reach out like Thomas did and touch Jesus’ flesh — but you can study His Word. You can study history. You can study science. You can wrestle with the Scriptures and voice your questions in prayer. Jesus invites you to lean in closer and express your doubts — it’s the process that strengthens faith.

Lord, like Your disciples, I pray, “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). When I struggle with doubt, teach me to look for the answers in Your Word and fill me with Your faith.

Take a closer look at Jesus

Humility

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross! — Philippians 2:8

As the Son of God and Savior of the world, Jesus could have preached with pride and condemnation, but He never did. God could’ve chosen for Jesus to be born into a prominent and wealthy family; instead, He was born into humble circumstances. Jesus could’ve spent His thirty-three years on earth focusing on self-glorification, but instead, His goal was to bring glory to the Father. Although Jesus had the option to turn His back on His mission, He humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:8). At every fork in the road, Jesus chose the humble path.

The apostle Peter wrote,

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:6–7

What does it mean to live with humility? It means in order to love your neighbor, you should lay down your privilege and position and choose kindness and meekness instead. Humble living doesn’t mean you should shelve your ambition — some of the most productive people in the world are the most humble. Humility means approaching your work and goals with the objective of serving God and helping other people.

Humility may present differently in every culture and generation — it’s up to you to look for opportunities to make your life service-oriented. How can you encourage a peer at work and celebrate their talent? How can you surrender your time to volunteer at local nonprofits? How can you commit a portion of your income to help someone else? When done with a pure heart, these actions are all ways to participate in humble living. Identify one way you can actively humble yourself before your neighbor and contribute to Christ’s mission of love. As you do, watch how God changes you.

Lord, I pray You will teach me to humble myself before You and my neighbor. I pray my life will bring You glory and be of service in Your name.

Excerpted from A Savior Is Risen, copyright Zondervan.

Love God. Love Others. Love yourself. Putting yourself in the right position takes great humility. The more I watch people and get to know them it makes me think that humility is a gift from God. It is easy to be proud and arrogant, but difficult to sacrifice and give of yourself to others and for the glory of God. But that is what Jesus did. He gave of Himself for us all the way to death, that we might be saved and have eternal life by believing in Him! Follow Jesus. Take up your own cross. Sacrifice yourself to God and your fellow man. God will be the rewarder of your choices and actions. Pray for humility and love in your heart and life.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 16, 2024

Notes of Faith February 16, 2024

The True Easter Lamb

From Alpha to Omega, El Shaddai to Prince of Peace, the many names of God highlight His attributes, each lighting up a facet of who He is. As I have studied these names, I have been impressed with how many pairs of them stand in stark contrast to each other! God is the Lord and the Servant. God is the Lamb and the Lion and the Lioness. God is the Shepherd and the Lamb.

During the Easter season, I am especially drawn to the image of God as a Lamb. The lamb has a long history as a symbol of Easter, and continues to endure even in secular depictions of the holiday.

Scripture refers to God or Jesus as a lamb numerous times throughout the Old and New Testaments.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” — John 1:29

[You were redeemed] with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. — 1 Peter 1:19

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. — Isaiah 53:7

They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd. — Revelation 7:15, Revelation 7:17

Can it be that the Creator of all the galaxies was also named the Lamb? The gentle creature of whom the poet asked:

Little lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou life, and bid thee feed

By the stream and o’er the mead,

Gave thee clothing of delight,

Softest clothing, woolly, bright;

Gave thee such a tender voice,

Making all the vales rejoice?

Little lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?

Little lamb, I’ll tell thee,

Little lamb, I’ll tell thee.

He is called by thy name,

For He calls Himself a Lamb.

He is meek, and He is mild,

He became a little child.

I a child, and thou a lamb,

We are called by His name.

Little lamb, God bless thee!

Little lamb, God bless thee!

~ William Blake, Songs of Innocence

The Creator of the galaxies became a Child, who became the Lamb of God.

The lamb, even today, symbolizes innocence and purity. Only a pure unblemished lamb could be a sacrifice. A spotted lamb was not acceptable. The sacrificial lamb could not have any flaw or deformity. It could not harbor a parasite or suffer from any ailment. It had to be the firstborn of its mother.

The offering of a lamb had to be from an obedient heart in order to be acceptable. This was true of the very first offering mentioned in Scripture – Abel’s offering of a lamb from his flock (Genesis 4) – and continues to be true for every offering thereafter. King Saul’s proposed offering was rejected because he had been disobedient (1 Samuel 15). He was told

To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

— 1 Samuel 15:22

The offering of the Lamb was an offering of obedience. The writer of Hebrews says of Christ, the Lamb,

Although He was a son, He learned obedience from what He suffered.

— Hebrews 5:8

For the offering to be complete, the blood of the Lamb had to be shed.

And without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. — Hebrews 9:22

All the animals sacrificed in the time of the Old Testament were object lessons, pointing toward the one sufficient, worthy sacrifice. We celebrate Easter today because of the ultimate sacrifice that was made on Good Friday. Because all of us have sinned, the only One who could provide an acceptable sacrifice was God himself. Abraham was more right than he knew when he told Isaac,

God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering. — Genesis 22:8

God’s lamb, holy, pure, perfect, and altogether worthy, shed His blood as an offering to atone for our sins. For us, the Creator of the galaxies became a Child, who became the Lamb of God.

The wonder is that “we are called by His name”! What does it mean for me, today, that I am called a lamb? What does it mean for me, in light of Holy Week, that Jesus is the Lamb?

Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise! — Revelation 5:12

Worthy Lamb of God, receive our praise and gratitude today for your great sacrifice on our behalf.

Adapted from All the Glorious Names by Mary Foxwell Loeks.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” — John 1:29

Nothing could take away our sin but the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus the Christ. In Him we have forgiveness and salvation, blessed and secure for all eternity. May you have a true saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 15, 2024

Notes of Faith February 15, 2024

His Eye Is on the Sparrow

Do not fear; you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

— Luke 12:7 NASB

I come from a family of artists. My grandmother was an artist; she traveled from continent to continent, painting. My mother is an artist; she had a scholarship to college on her talent. My sister sings like an angel, and my brother is a blues singer.

I am all of these, and yet as a young woman, I never felt confident enough to pursue my gifts wholeheartedly. So I became a dental hygienist, met a Southern hunk, and moved to Memphis, Tennessee. I spat out four kids faster than lightning and loved being a stay-at-home mom, thriving in the normal joys of everyday life. One thing I always wondered, though, is why the Lord spared my life in a horrible car accident in high school. “Can’t I do something great for Your kingdom since you left me here?” I would ask Him. Mothering my children is my number one calling, but for whatever reason I knew something else was coming.

One day when my four children were little, I needed extra money so I revived my dental hygienist skills. While cleaning a woman’s teeth, she told me her kids had just been diagnosed with, and wouldn’t survive, a rare, genetic neurological disorder called Batten disease. I silently prayed over her that day. I went home and tucked my kids into bed that night and wept. I told my husband, “I think I need to try and help — maybe I should paint?” After all, God had given me this gift, which wasn’t being used. Time went by. I was so busy changing diapers and wasn’t brave enough to try.

A few years later, my husband called me with panic in his voice — our child had just had a seizure. I was scared to death and got a bone chill when asked if we had ever tested our child for Batten disease. We spent months trying to get a diagnosis. In that time at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, the uplifting art decorating the walls grabbed my eyes and made me feel better in between moments of worry.

I was especially emotional one day at home while cleaning the toilets (we had a house full of boys!), and I cried out to God, “Father, what is all this for?!”

I heard in that moment, Help families. Find that mother. I knew whose voice it was, and I knew it was time for me to come out of my insecurities and give Him my gifts with all my heart. My music, my art; it all belonged to Him. I then heard, Paint!

Don’t hide your gifts!

That is how my art started. I studied my grandmother’s art sketches, and I painted my way through tears of worry for my own child and grief for the mother I had met years before. In between brushstrokes I stared at a painting that my grandmother had made of birds, and the Lord whispered, The birds of the air don’t worry. I take care of them. Paint.

I finally did what God told me to do: I found the mother whom I had prayed over many years ago. I took her the very first bird painting I ever made.

“I can’t believe it’s birds!” she said. “Do you know I had a sparrow tattooed on my wrist in honor of Milla’s life? She loved birds so much, but it’s also a reminder that God’s eyes never leave me. So I am just floored that you have a painting of birds for us.”

I was told Milla had lost her vision, but she could still hear the birds chirp.

Given how special birds were to this family, this moment was the first of many experiences God had planned where I saw Him use art as a way to bring healing and bring Himself glory.

God blew my mind, but that was just the beginning of how He would use art as a way to bring comfort. I now sell my art in galleries and interior design stores, and I send 10 percent of every piece I sell to a foundation in memory of that little girl and her sister, who is now with her in heaven. Kids are able to receive free grief therapy from this foundation, Milla’s House, in Memphis. I also send paintings in the mail to mothers who have lost their children, along with a children’s book written about Heaven.

I’ve seen God pay for shipping. I’ve seen God deliver a painting for a grieving mother I had been called to paint for but didn’t know. In this instance, a friend of mine from Austin, Texas, randomly went to a Bible study, and the mother who was to receive the painting unexpectedly sat down right next to her. When they exchanged names, I know she was surprised when my friend said, “Umm… don’t think I’m crazy, but I have a painting in my closet that is intended for you that was sent all the way from Tennessee. We just moved here.”

These stories go on and on as God continues to allow me to paint for others. The spiritual lesson He imprints on my heart each time He calls me to paint is this: don’t hide your gifts! You never know why God placed them in you. My goal is to keep high-fiving the Lord as He sells my art, leaving me the ability to keep giving to more grieving parents and to the foundations that help them. My child is seizure- free today, and we continue to be grateful for healing.

I mainly paint church scenes now, to represent healing in relationships and my love for the South. My mother painted them when I was growing up. She wanted to see diversity in the churches of the South. Her wish is coming true. I have never stopped painting bird scenes, however, always remembering Milla and her family. I send them into the world to spread the news that God’s eyes are on the sparrow, and I know He watches over us.

~ Amy Carlisle, wife, mother, and artist

Excerpted from Entertaining Angels by Anne Neilson, copyright Anne Neilson.

You may not have the gift of painting, I am sure that I do not. Stick figures is the best that I can do. But God has placed within every believer gifts to be used for His glory. I pray that you know the gift(s) that you have been given and that you will use them, bringing you and others great joy and honor and glory to God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 14, 2024

Notes of Faith February 14, 2024

Letting God Fight for You

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. — Exodus 14:14

Recently, Sadie and I got into a minor tiff because, evidently, I had had a bad tone all day long. We’d been running errands and catching a movie, and when we got in the car afterward, I asked her a simple logistical question and got a sassy comment in reply. I mentioned the sassiness, and she lit up — and not in the good way. We’re talking dangerous sparks.

“You’ve got a problem with my tone now?” she said. “What about the tone you’ve had all day long?”

Well, now we had a thing.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul told us to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (4:32). This is the concluding verse in the chapter, and it is also the last verse under the subheading “The New Life” in my ESV Bible. This is profound to me because before I knew Jesus, I was not walking in this “newness of life” that the Bible so often talks about.

Without Jesus, I am not naturally kind or tenderhearted or even quick to forgive others, but because He has imparted all of these attributes to me, I can embrace them.

When Sadie was rude to me that day, my initial reaction and instinct was not to be kind or extend tenderness. It was to be rude and get defensive. It can be hard to change old habits and instinctive reactions.

Sadie and I talk a lot about what makes a marriage work — or what makes any intimate relationship work, for that matter. One theme we keep coming back to is this: while we may argue from time to time, in the end we need to fight for each other, not against each other.

And when that’s hard for us to do, we find that if we are willing to ask for God’s help and be silent before Him, He will go before us, soften our hearts, and fight the battles with us.

We need to fight for each other, not against each other.

We’re committed to seeing each other through to becoming the people God wants us to be.

Hours after our little “tone discussion,” Sadie and I put Honey to bed and then sat down on the couch to talk. God helped us each own our part of the day:

“I was tired all day and took it out on you,” I said.

“I was fed up with your mood and just snapped,” she said.

I’m sorry.

Will you forgive me?

We are better than this.

There’s something a lot like Jesus going on in us when we fight for, not against, each other. Even when I’m in a bad mood, when I am hurtful to Him, He is committed to loving me and quick to forgive. He is always on my side. He is always for me. And He fights for both me and my relationships.

It’s easy to get mad. But life is so much sweeter when we let God do our fighting. Today, when we get mad, let’s take a deep breath and say a prayer before we respond.

How to Put Love First

Who is the person in your life you are most likely to take a “tone” with? Do something extra sweet and kind for that person today. If you’re currently having a moment, apologize for your part and offer better understanding as to where your tone is coming from. If not, give a hug, a text, a coffee — something — that says, I see you, I love you, and you matter to me.

~ by Christian Huff

Excerpted from How to Put Love First by Sadie Robertson Huff & Christian Huff, copyright Sadie Robertson Huff and Christian Huff.

Love is hard. It is sacrificial. It looks out for the needs of others. It is all the things 1 Corinthians 13 says it is and more. God is love! If we want to learn to be more loving and experience true love we must imitate the character of the Father, and the Son, through the power of the Holy Spirit within us. Let us love one another for love is of God, and everyone that loves is born of God and knows God.

He that does not love does not know God.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 13, 2024

Notes of Faith February 13, 2024

Matthew 16, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for My sake, will find it.’” Paul wrote, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that,” he said, “but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces…” What? “Perseverance. And perseverance…” What? “Character. And character…” What? “Hope.”

How are you? Good, thank you. Yeah, the joy of the Lord is not your strength. Of all people, we should be the most hopeful people. We should be the people with the peace that surpasses all understanding. Just so you know, all your unbelieving neighbors and friends and family, everyone is watching you right now. All of them. And they want to see what is it that you’re promoting right now? Is your faith the thing that matters or what? What fills your day? What fills your profile on social media? Who are you more into? Fauci or Jesus when you are writing stuff? No, no, listen, there are more Christians that over the last six months said Fauci more than Jesus.

Amir Tsarfati: Is The Joy of the Lord Your Strength?

The conversation recorded in Matthew 16 took place in Caesarea Philippi under the shadow of a pagan temple where Jesus asked the disciples who are people saying that He is? This question is followed by both a high point and then a low point in Peter’s years of traveling with Jesus during His earthly ministry.

Matthew 16:14-18

So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”

The very next thing we read in Matthew 16 is this:

Matthew 16:21-23

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

From Peter being told He had a revelation from the Father to being called Satan by the Son of God, all in a single conversation. That would certainly have been a humbling moment for Peter.

Jesus then turns to the whole group and tells them that if you want to come after Me then you have to take up your cross and deny yourself in order to do so. If we read this in the context of the last thing the Lord said to Peter, about being mindful of the things of men and not the things of God, we can understand the meaning of this more clearly.

Jesus was telling His disciples, which would include His disciples today, that in order to follow Him there is a cost to count and sacrifices to be made. The things or thinking of this world cannot be top priority, and we are to be constantly mindful of the things of God. This is consistent with what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

The “these things” Jesus mentioned relate to “what shall we eat, drink, and wear”, as we see in the previous verses of Matthew 6. This does not mean that all Christians are to live in poverty, or not work hard to provide for their families. It means that we need to make sure we maintain the proper balance in life as good stewards of what the Lord has given us, spiritually and materially.

Today we live in a world that offers many escape hatches from this kind of thinking, and we need to be careful of falling into them. Many things in our world demand our attention: caring for our families, doing good for others, and being a part of a church family are all good and godly things. There are also multitudes of “joy killers” in our world that we must beware of getting lured into.

Sadly there remains a significant amount of division in the church today over the pandemic positions individual churches took. Masks or no masks, church doors open or closed, social distancing or not. Some acted like one’s salvation depended on what their decision was on these matters, and Satan was hugely successful in sidetracking much of the church from its mission, which is preaching Christ and Him crucified.

John 13:35

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What do the people on Instagram or Facebook know about us? That we are Jesus disciples? Or that we are pro- or anti-vaxxers and this is what we think of certain political candidates. It is not that some of the things that have distracted and divided the church are unimportant. They just cannot be allowed to take the place of sharing the gospel and loving each other as Christ loved the church. Whether you are from Israel or the United States, or any country that has free and legitimate election processes, the Christian voice needs to be heard. But again, these important areas still fall a distant second to the saving of the human soul.

There is an acronym that has floated around for years that we would do well to live by in these perilous times: JOY – Jesus Others You. If we put the Lord first, reaching others second, and ourselves last, the end result will be a life filled with joy. The proof? Jesus!

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Life truly is “All About Jesus” and has been a theme of our church for over 30 years. Priorities and focus need to be addressed in most if not all of our lives, having God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, in the number one position of all thought and action. All other things will follow behind in their proper place. This is not easy, as the distractions of Satan and the world are always seeking to take us away from communing with God. May we persevere in truth and follow the Lord Jesus closely, worshipping, serving, and loving those He has placed around us that we might bring them to His throne of grace!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith February 12, 2024

Notes of Faith February 12, 2024

Protection in the Red Sea

EXODUS 14 / MARK 4:35–41

And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” — Mark 4:39–40

Trust is delicate. It’s hard to earn and easy to lose. Trusting someone else takes time. Especially when it comes to our own protection. We were designed with a high level of awareness around our need for self-protection, and at the slightest threat, we fight, fly, or freeze.

If someone breaks our trust, we naturally become guarded. When someone proves they are trustworthy, our confidence in them grows and we feel safe enough to let our guard down. Why? Because there is a consistent pattern of faithfulness demonstrated.

This is the kind of trust Moses developed with God. He could trace God’s past faithful protection over and over.

Moses had seen God help him do what seemed impossible: leading the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt. Just when there seemed to be no way Pharaoh would ever heed Moses’ demand to let the people go, God demonstrated His unexplainable protection by using His power over nature to get Pharaoh’s attention. God unleashed 10 plagues over Egypt, which eventually convinced Pharaoh to let the Israelites go.

Then God demonstrated His unexplainable protection again when He led the people in a less direct path to the promised land:

But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. — Exodus 13:18a

Exodus 14:4 reveals God’s plan to yet again show His people His ability to protect them: “

And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.’ And they did so.

Just as God planned, with the Egyptians marching after them, the Israelites found themselves facing an angry sea in front of them and an angry enemy behind them. The only way for them to be saved would be for God to do something that could never have even been dreamed up with the human mind... Again it was God’s unexplainable protection.

Israel’s Path and God’s Protection

God unleashes 10 plagues over Egypt — Exodus 5:1-11

Pharoah lets Israelites go — Exodus 12:31-42

Israelites on wandering path — Exodus 13:17-22

Pharoah/ Egyptians coming after Israelites — Exodus 14:5

Parting of the Red Sea — Exodus 14:19-31

Read Exodus 14:10–12.

01 What does the people’s response to Moses show about their mental and emotional state?

Notice a common thread in the reaction of the Israelites as we’ve been studying together? Let’s also not forget there was more going on. The Israelites were not left alone or unprotected.

Read Exodus 14:13–14.

02 We don’t have a record of the people’s response after hearing Moses’ direction. What would your response have been?

The initial response after crying out to God to fight on their behalf was silence. The Israelites surely thought Moses’ advice made no sense. However, Moses was leading the people to use silence as a spiritual discipline. Moses told the people to sit silent and watch God protect them and fight on their behalf. If we were the Israelites, we would have probably demanded an explanation for what seemed like such an odd response to such a serious threat.

As we consider our own use of silence in the midst of threats, there can be many benefits. One purpose of silence may be to focus on the simplicity of God’s power over all things. Another benefit might be to quiet distractions and interruptions that tempt us to explain away God’s protection in our lives.

Maybe silence and solitude are ways for us to process and find peace with things that seem so unexplainable in our lives.

What would happen if we practiced the spiritual discipline of silence today by spending focused time meditating on the protection and provision of God in our lives? What if we intentionally remembered to trace God’s faithfulness in the past until it helped us feel more safe and secure in the faithful and secure hands of God? The Israelites were aware of this truth through tangible and visible examples but, in that moment, needed to pause and remember.

Read Exodus 14:19–20.

The more we remember what Jesus has done for us and what it means for us, the more we will be assured of His absolute devotion to protecting us.

03 Who was also with the Israelites? Describe what was happening.

The end of the story is the protection of Israel through God’s powerful authority over nature itself. God splits the Red Sea in half and creates a passageway of safety for His people to find rescue and deliverance.

As one Old Testament scholar has said, “Israel’s escape route became a classroom for them, a period of testing in time and space that shaped the people Yahweh was making.”1

Read Exodus 14:15–18.

04 Scripture demonstrates that sometimes God allows trials in order to reveal His power. Why would God work this way?

The experience at the Red Sea was a formative experience, helping the people of God better understand and live out trust in their Creator.

When we think about Jesus there are so many connections back to the Red Sea. The Israelites faced the Red Sea which was a sign/symbol of death, chaos, and disorder. Jesus faced the cross, a sign/symbol of death. The Israelites had to go through the Red Sea. Jesus had to go through the cross. On the other side of the Red Sea was the promised land for the Israelites. Jesus victory over sin and death brings the promise of the new heavens and new earth to those of us that put our trust and faith in Christ.

The more we remember what Jesus has done for us and what it means for us, the more we will be assured of His absolute devotion to protecting us.

Every moment we are with God, we are with His protection whether we realize it or not. And part of that protection, if we will trust Him and stay with Him, is how He will form us and shape us through what we experience.

05 Read 1 Corinthians 15:49. What is the goal of all of this shaping and forming?

The more we are shaped and formed to be like Jesus, the more we will be confident in God’s protection. But even more than being confident, with Jesus we can have unexplainable peace in the process. Philippians 4:7 reminds us of this truth:

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

As we conclude today, let’s turn to one more story involving another sea. In this New Testament story, found in Mark 4, Jesus is asleep on a boat in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee. This is the type of storm that would put true fear in even the most seasoned sailors. In a moment of desperation, the disciples cry out to Jesus to provide protection for them. Jesus simply wakes up, rebukes the wind, and tells the sea to be still.

Simply the presence of Jesus and the voice of Jesus in the midst of the storm establishes peace. Where Jesus is present, peace is possible.

This doesn’t mean there won’t be storms, trials, tribulations, and hardships. Certainly the children of Israel and Moses experienced these. The disciples in the New Testament experienced these. And we will, too. But we are never left alone He is with us. With Jesus, even when our circumstances don’t feel peaceful, we can choose to do things His way and, in doing so, have peace that passes all understanding.

And in the end, if we will just remember to reflect on the many ways we’ve seen God move in our past and the peace available to us in the present, we can know we are being protected.

1. Eugene Carpenter, Exodus, ed. H. Wayne House and William D. Barrick, vol. 1, Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012), 503.

Excerpted from 30 Days with Jesus by Lysa TerKeurst and Joel Muddamalle, copyright Lysa TerKeurst and Dr. Joel Muddamalle.

If you move the letters of the word silent around you will find “listen”. I only learned this recently and find it to be fascinating. “Be still and know that I am God.” We can draw close/closer to God by listening for Him to speak… through His Word, through His Spirit within us, through the blessing of others speaking love and truth to us. This is the power of God that bring trust. He reveals Himself and proves that He loves and cares for us. Be silent, listen, and trust God who cares for you.

Pastor Dale